OCALA, Fla. — A Florida shopping trip ended with a battery charge after a man allegedly used a grocery bag containing a tub of ice cream to settle a disagreement over backseat space.

Apparently, asking someone to move a plant was not among the options selected.

Burton McDonald, 60, is accused of striking his 65-year-old roommate in the face as the pair loaded purchases into an Uber outside a Walmart in Ocala. Marion County sheriff’s deputies responded to the store on Southwest Highway 200, according to local station WCJB.

The roommate told investigators they had gone shopping for groceries and other supplies for their group home. Neither man could drive, so they arranged transportation through Uber, according to an arrest affidavit described by Law&Crime.

Trouble began when several large plants joined the passengers and groceries, leaving McDonald unhappy with his share of the available room.

The roommate said McDonald struck his left cheek with something hard. He could not identify the object, but deputies observed redness where he said he had been hit.

The driver reportedly filled in the missing detail: a Walmart bag containing a tub of ice cream.

McDonald did not deny striking his roommate, according to the affidavit. He told investigators the other man had “mouthed off” and nudged him in the side. He also complained that the purchases occupied too much space.

The Uber driver’s account presented a problem for that explanation. The driver told investigators the roommate had not touched, pushed or struck McDonald and identified McDonald as the aggressor.

What began as a disagreement about transporting household purchases had become a police matter, with dessert taking an unexpected supporting role.

McDonald was arrested on a charge of battery on a person 65 or older. WCJB reported Oct. 20 that he was being held at the Marion County Jail with bond set at $1,000. That report does not establish whether he has since been released. His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 17, according to court records cited by Law&Crime.

The roommate’s age makes the charge more serious than an ordinary misdemeanor battery allegation. Under Florida law, battery against someone 65 or older is reclassified as a third-degree felony, regardless of whether the accused knew the person’s age.

McDonald has not been convicted. The reports reviewed did not include a plea or a statement from a defense attorney.

They also did not identify the flavor of ice cream — a detail unlikely to resolve the criminal case, but one of the few remaining questions about how a routine grocery run became this particular Florida story.

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